His publishing career is noted for his views' leftward progression toward socialism and support for the Industrial Workers of the World.

[3] When the Civil War broke out, the Kerr family escaped to safety in the North via the Underground Railroad.

Influenced by the US People's Party, Kerr began to publish more political works on topics like land reform, including a new monthly magazine New Occasions.

Over the years, Kerr's company became a leading publisher of socialist, communist, anarchist, and Industrial Workers of the World works.

[citation needed] Kerr's version was widely circulated in the Little Red Songbook of the Industrial Workers of the World.